The present patent application relates generally to a cleaning apparatus. More specifically, the present patent application relates to a retraction apparatus for a scrub deck that allows one or more of a plurality of scrub brushes to rotate rearward and/or inward relative to the scrub deck.
Industrial and commercial floors are cleaned on a regular basis for aesthetic and sanitary purposes. There are many types of industrial and commercial floors ranging from hard surfaces such as concrete, terrazzo, wood, and the like, which can be found in factories, schools, hospitals, and the like, to softer surfaces such as carpeted floors found in restaurants and offices. Different types of floor cleaning equipment such as scrubbers, sweepers, and extractors, have been developed to properly clean and maintain these different floor surfaces.
A typical scrubber is a walk-behind or drivable, serf-propelled, wet process machine that applies a liquid cleaning solution from an on-board cleaning solution tank onto the floor through nozzles. Rotating brushes forming part of the scrubber agitate the solution to loosen dirt and grime adhering to the floor. The dirt and grime become suspended in the solution, which is collected by a vacuum squeegee fixed to a rearward portion of the scrubber and deposited into an onboard recovery tank.
Scrubbers are very effective for cleaning hard surfaces. Unfortunately, debris on the floor can clog the vacuum squeegee, and thus, the floor should be swept prior to using the scrubber. Therefore, sweepers are commonly used to sweep a floor prior to using a scrubber. A typical sweeper is a self-propelled, walk-behind or drivable dry process machine that picks debris off a hard or soft floor surface without the use of liquids. The typical sweeper has rotating brushes which sweep debris into a hopper or “catch bin.”
Combination sweeper-scrubbers have also been developed that provide the sweeping and scrubbing functionalities in a single unit.